[Kewl Dewd]

Very disappointed in myself because i’m not even on the board yet – i’m using Becker CPA Exam review material and I went through the entire course but i’m still 21 points away. I refuse to give up – any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

AUD - 33
BEC - 47
FAR - 54
REG - 65

Kewl Dewd

[reallytired]

Becker is a fantastic tool, how did you use it? When I studied for FAR, I would read the chapter, watch the lectures and highlight with Peter/Tim, then I would take handwritten notes on the entire chapter, then do the mcq and take notes on the ones I got wrong. I studied 200 hours for FAR (granted, I know everyone learns differently).

B- Pass
A- Pass
R- Pass
F- Pass

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[SomeSomeCPA]

Was this your first CPA exam?

Done! 9 tests over 16 months. Failed first 3 with Becker. Passed 4 of next 6 with Ninja MCQ.

FAR: 39,59,TBD
BEC: 74,79
AUD: 77
REG: September

[Kewl Dewd]

Becker is excellent – i think i'll increase my study time as suggested. To be honest, i'm just happy the information on the exam didn't look foreign and you're correct – everyone absorbs information differently.

AUD - 33
BEC - 47
FAR - 54
REG - 65

Kewl Dewd

[Kewl Dewd]

Yes it is – how can you tell….

AUD - 33
BEC - 47
FAR - 54
REG - 65

Kewl Dewd

[Claudia408]

Kewl – my first attempt with FAR i scored 54 as well. i was so overwhelmed with that material and struggled trying to learn the concepts. i've been out of school since 2001 and i work FT and it took me almost 5 months to go through all the lectures and questions once. i took FAR a 2nd time and scored 68… a little bit more encouraging but still need a lot more work.

all you can do is go over the material again, read the book, google topics/lectures so you get a different way of explaining things which might help you understand better, and make sure you understand what they are asking by read the questions carefully bc they ask the same thing over and over just in a different way.

BEC 65, 71, 75
AUD 62, 70, 78
REG 67, 66, 65, 66, 64
FAR 68, 64, 73

BEC - 75 (3x)
AUD - 78 (3x)
REG - 67, 66, Aug 1
FAR - 54, Sept 8

[reallytired]

I agree completely, Becker does a great job at preparing you for the format/questions. You will do great the next time! Just be sure to utilize everything Becker offers!

B- Pass
A- Pass
R- Pass
F- Pass

B 10/29/16
A 10/1/16
R 9/2/16
F 7/26/16

[Lashifty]

I used Becker, I took 2 months to learn FAR, studying full-time no work. I read the book at least 6 times (not front to back but in sections). I worked every question from each chapter twice.

Repetition, Repetition , Repetition is what worked for me and I would NOT move on until I had the concept/section down. Also, making your own flash cards with j/e's and muscle memorizing them helped me out. I had at least 700+ for FAR.

[Kewl Dewd]

Our circumstances are very similar – i graduated with a BS in Accounting in 1994. I never really pursued my CPA credentials until now so I totally understood you when you mentioned the word “overwhelmed.” I'm just going to hop back on this horse and ride it again – thanks for the story/reply, you really made me feel like im not alone because for a minute there – i thought i was a complete imbecile for only getting a 54.

AUD - 33
BEC - 47
FAR - 54
REG - 65

Kewl Dewd

[Kewl Dewd]

Thanks reallytired – u totally ROCK!!!

AUD - 33
BEC - 47
FAR - 54
REG - 65

Kewl Dewd

[Kewl Dewd]

Thanks Lashifty – repetition is key. Awesome SAUCE – not!!! But i will take heed.

AUD - 33
BEC - 47
FAR - 54
REG - 65

Kewl Dewd

[SomeSomeCPA]

I wouldn't worry about your score. My first CPA exam I scored a 39. I've since passed 2 exams. There is some solid advice above from others. As mentioned, it's all about prioritization and repetition.
Read this article from Jeff if you work full time, he details a plan for busy season but I find it applicable for everyone looking to budget their time and still have somewhat of a life. https://www.another71.com/study-for-cpa-exam-tax-season/

Done! 9 tests over 16 months. Failed first 3 with Becker. Passed 4 of next 6 with Ninja MCQ.

FAR: 39,59,TBD
BEC: 74,79
AUD: 77
REG: September

[bhunt815]

I failed my first test (audit) and then was 4 for 4 and knocked them all out in under 5 months while working full time. If you are anything like me, you have now learned how to study for this test by failing a section. You should take this experience and kill the next 4 sections.

I was also Becker online and I thought it was a great resource and I couldn't have passed without it. Do lots of MCQ's but don't rely on them too much. You still need to dive into that book and understand the concepts. I disagree with the people who say not to do the practice SIM's. I got a deeper understanding some of the more difficult concepts by doing SIM's.

AUD - 79
BEC - 81
FAR - 84
REG - 78

Becker Self Study supplemented with Ninja MCQ's for BEC and REG.

Licensed CPA in Louisiana.

FAR 04/11/2016 - 84
AUD 05/12/2016 - 79
BEC 07/06/2016 - 81
REG 08/29/2016

[leongl]

My experience with FAR is that an issue came up with my application so I ended up not being able to sit until October, but i schedule my test in November and found out yesterday I passed FAR. In total, I've been on FAR since April so about 7 months.

My advice is definitely re-do all homework questions again. During my review phase, i set the mode to only grading my score when I look at the answer. So basically when it highlights yellow I know its wrong so I try to find the right answer. I do this because I get discouraged after seeing my low homework score percentage and I even stop the timer at every question if i need to. I wish i can mute the left column and not see my score for becker.

Content wise:
Government and NFP is definitely a must to review over if your struggling with that, but its still a topic to review because it will for sure be on the exam. The other posters were right about every three or four questions will be a government question. Do the simulations for government and any topics your struggling with. The sims is another way to learn the material, which is better then keep getting the MCQ wrong for those topics your struggling with.

Have a list of “cram topics” that you really can't remember and ensure to review those one or two days before the test. Theres no way for me to retain the difficult topics weeks prior to the exam. I struggled with F2 concepts like completion contracts, non-monetary exchanged, dollar value, and many other concepts.

Do look at F10. I skim the chapter the day before and it paid off because I did have questions that showed up.

Overall, i think i end up spending way too much time on FAR because I had to due to my application issue and i still didn't feel ready after 7 months (i had some breaks in between) and end up with a 77. ITs my first ever cpa test too. Probably be starting REG over the holidays.

Good luck

AUD - 79
BEC - 79
FAR - 77
REG - 86

Leongl

[aaronmo]

I don't mean this to be rude…but I think it would be very difficult to improve that much in FAR if you actually prepped. If you didn't prep hard before the exam, it's a different matter because you didn't really try. If you did all of the FAR questions in Becker, and watched all of the material…and got a 54…I think you might want to plan a career shift.

Sorry to be blunt, just my general opinion on how much improvement is possible with standardized tests. The overall CPA exam pass rate is something like 30%, so there's really no shame in it.

AUD - 96
BEC - 84
FAR - 89
REG - 86

Aaron and always remember, YMMV

I profit from your CPE frustration. You're welcome.

[Anonymous]

Don't listen to aaronmo. There is a learning curve to studying for this exam and this was your first attempt. Just keep grinding and you will get there!

[Author]

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